5 ms·

I always find it hilarious that they test drive autonomous vehicles in Arizona. Never in Tokyo or Amsterdam.

btian 8y ago
Why? If they don't work in Arizona, they won't work anywhere else. If AV doesn't work in Tokyo, they may still work in many places.
- scarejunba 8y ago
  I think this sort of illustrates just how hard iterative development is for most people to grasp. It's similar to how junior engineers frequently aim for the final finished product on the first iteration whereas most experienced engineers will iterate on development when in unfamiliar spaces.
c1sc0 8y ago
Second the Amsterdam bit: bikes all around you makes for some very interesting driving & AI would need extensive extra training over there. Self-driving cars will need to be localized for traffic “culture” all around the world.
- wbl 8y ago
  Or they could not use them because bikes and trams are just fine.
  - metildaa 8y ago
    Nevermind that bikes and trams are significantly cheaper, and with the way the infrastructure is designed in many places (plus existing traffic), other modes of transit besides cars can be competitive or significantly faster than driving.
superkuh 8y ago
And never anywhere it snows.
- tim333 8y ago
  Like here? https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020096/self-driving-car-yandex-winter-russia https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020096/self-driving-car...
  - superkuh 8y ago
    They do test in snow areas. Just many fewer of them and with no successful feasible solution. Notice that the road in the video is cleared of snow. The problem is when the road is covered with snow. This is a very common occurance. So far it requires solutions like pre-existing ground penetrating radar mapping of all roads or some not invented yet solution. There's a team at a Michigan university doing this.
tim333 8y ago
Testing in Tokyo: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/28/driverless-taxi-debuts-in-tokyo-in-world-first-trial-ahead-of-olympics https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/28/driverles...
- johnwalkr 8y ago
  I rode in one of these. It seemed pretty far from production ready, and the driver had to take over several times. But, I was impressed with the testing philosophy. 2 engineers rode in the car, and the taxi driver had only the responsibility to be ready to take over driving, at all times. And by partnering with a taxi company (which are well respected in Tokyo), they automatically have trust, hailing infrastructure and a way to collect data going forward. They don’t appear to be operating regularly yet, and the timing of public testing is probably due to a recently failed IPO rather than readiness.
deleted 8y ago
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masonic 8y ago
You want a car programmed to drive on the right on Japanese roads?

Why? If they don't work in Arizona, they won't work anywhere else. If AV doesn't work in Tokyo, they may still work in many places.

scarejunba 8y ago
I think this sort of illustrates just how hard iterative development is for most people to grasp. It's similar to how junior engineers frequently aim for the final finished product on the first iteration whereas most experienced engineers will iterate on development when in unfamiliar spaces.

c1sc0 8y ago

Second the Amsterdam bit: bikes all around you makes for some very interesting driving & AI would need extensive extra training over there. Self-driving cars will need to be localized for traffic “culture” all around the world.

wbl 8y ago
Or they could not use them because bikes and trams are just fine.
- metildaa 8y ago
  Nevermind that bikes and trams are significantly cheaper, and with the way the infrastructure is designed in many places (plus existing traffic), other modes of transit besides cars can be competitive or significantly faster than driving.

superkuh 8y ago

And never anywhere it snows.

tim333 8y ago
Like here? https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020096/self-driving-car-yandex-winter-russia https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020096/self-driving-car...
- superkuh 8y ago
  They do test in snow areas. Just many fewer of them and with no successful feasible solution. Notice that the road in the video is cleared of snow. The problem is when the road is covered with snow. This is a very common occurance. So far it requires solutions like pre-existing ground penetrating radar mapping of all roads or some not invented yet solution. There's a team at a Michigan university doing this.

tim333 8y ago

Testing in Tokyo: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/28/driverless-taxi-debuts-in-tokyo-in-world-first-trial-ahead-of-olympics https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/28/driverles...

johnwalkr 8y ago
I rode in one of these. It seemed pretty far from production ready, and the driver had to take over several times. But, I was impressed with the testing philosophy. 2 engineers rode in the car, and the taxi driver had only the responsibility to be ready to take over driving, at all times. And by partnering with a taxi company (which are well respected in Tokyo), they automatically have trust, hailing infrastructure and a way to collect data going forward. They don’t appear to be operating regularly yet, and the timing of public testing is probably due to a recently failed IPO rather than readiness.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

masonic 8y ago

You want a car programmed to drive on the right on Japanese roads?